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I have heard that Frontline spot on is the best flea treatment.
I was wondering do I treat my pup for fleas before she gets them in order to prevent it or do I have to wait until she actually gets them?
How old should you start treating your dog for fleas?
She is 11 weeks old now and dosnt have fleas but she has started to go out for walks and I was wondering if I could prevent an infestation in any way?
And do they have to be a recommended weight before treated with Frontline?

Mine started flea meds at 4 months old. Thats when the vet started them. Heartworm also. You put it on before they get fleas as prevention. Some people dont like to use the chemicals on and only use flea meds when they need them so its up to you. I only put them on now when they have fleas. The heartworm you have to give every monthy though because heartworm is a deadly disease.

My question too. I have used Frontline on and off over the years, but am really concerned about the hazards it might pose to my dog and myself. These are chemicals and they are absorbed by the skin - just doesn't sound very healthy to me. I generally use Frontline only two or three months out of the year. The rest of the year, I use some natural flea products that my local dog stores sell. One of them is flea & tick wipes - I use these before going out into the woods and then again when we come inside. I also keep my dogs' hair short in the summer so that I can easily find any ticks.

I have four dogs and use ADVANTIX...works great, they've been on it for years...

we live in the hot south and fleas and ticks are everywhere....

roxanne in NC

I agree. I think Advantix is the best. I live in the hot south too and fleas and ticks are a major battle for us. Frontline did not work as well for us. Maybe it depends on where you live? I would recommend Advantix for sure. Advantix says that it can be used on dogs 7 weeks of age and older.

I have heard that Dawn and Joy dishwashing liquid will kill fleas. I am not sure about killing ticks.

I have read it is a good idea to alternate between ADVAnTIX and FRONTLINE -- I have three fur babies and was having a HORRIBLE time with fleas (and yuk... ticks) and the frontline wasn't working. I tried the advantix last month and it worked!! For the ticks my groomer recomended using flea and tick collars (summer months when ticks are the worst) and I have not seen a tick after using the collars

I also used the dishwashing for bath time if I find any fleas... it kills the fleas (you can see them floating in the bathwater) but does not prevent new ones. I use borax --sprinkling in the cornners on such and it seam to help.. hope that helps!
Shinja

I haven't started with Flea or Tick meds yet but I've just had Fynnlie for two days. He's 10 weeks and 1 day old. He got a bug bite yesterday after being outside for a bit. He scratches at it and then gets distracted. I use Witch Hazel on them. It's also good for tick bites because it's soothing...

I have read it is a good idea to alternate between ADVAnTIX and FRONTLINE -- I have three fur babies and was having a HORRIBLE time with fleas (and yuk... ticks) and the frontline wasn't working. I tried the advantix last month and it worked!! For the ticks my groomer recomended using flea and tick collars (summer months when ticks are the worst) and I have not seen a tick after using the collars

I also used the dishwashing for bath time if I find any fleas... it kills the fleas (you can see them floating in the bathwater) but does not prevent new ones. I use borax --sprinkling in the cornners on such and it seam to help.. hope that helps!
Shinja

On our outside dogs we use Preventic Tick collar. They are beagles. The ticks died that were on them and it says it works up to 3 months. But it does nothing for fleas.

Natural Repellents typically include essential oils - such as Neem, and Citronella as a spray and shampoo to control fleas and ticks; for mosquitoes, black flies, and other flying insects there's Buzz Away.

Dr. Bens Personal Insect Repellent Ceder Oil is great and a natural product to use on both cats and dogs for fleas, ticks, mosquitos, bed bugs, lice, mites, mange, roaches, ants and other parasites (This product was tested by Iowa State University at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture for the use of the United States Army in Iraq to eliminate the Desert Sand Flea problem that our troops are encountering, which chemical treatments were either ineffective or causing rashes. The test results were astonishing - this red cedar oil product was RATED far superior to its chemical counterpart. These same products were tested and proven to not only kill Mosquito's, Flea's & Bed Bugs, but is one of the "ONLY KNOWN SUBSTANCES KNOWN TO MAN THAT WILL KILL THE FLEA, ITS EGGS AND LARVEA THE FIRST TIME" Studies found Cedar Juniperus Virginiana to be Non-Toxic. Article from the Dept. of Biomedical Sciences - College of Vet. Medicine, Oregon State University - (http://juniper.orst.edu/craig.pdf)

Also one can steep thinly sliced lemons in hot water overnight, then rinse or spray your dog with the lukewarm liquid for fleas. There's also natural flea and tick collars on the market now.

However, only 5% of a flea's life cycle is spent on your dog. So you have to find out where they hiding the rest of the time (EVERYWHERE!) and deal with the issue. Frequent vacuuming of carpets - washing of beddings, and spraying the house with a mist of oil of wintergreen helps. If the fleas are in your yard one needs to treat the outdoors with beneficial nematodes or diatomaceous earth from garden centers. They go nuts for flea eggs and larvae.

1) If you use a spot on Advantix has been working much better then Frontline this season. We're actually switching to selling Advantix over Frontline, because of this.

2) You can use Yeast and Garlic as an ongoing supplement and as a natural flea repellent.

3) If you have fleas or see fleas, you can use Best Yet Cedar Cide spray. It's an amazing product, kills on contact and is completely safe. It always promotes healing of the skin and moisturizes it. It's good to just to have a bottle, it works on just about pest you will find in your house.